The Cold-Weather Cheese Board, Built Within an Hour of Bury

A winter cheese board in Bury should not begin in the supermarket chiller. It should begin with a short drive, a market counter and a conversation. Lancashire is making some of the best cheese in the country within easy reach of the town, and the colder months are the right time to eat it. Here are five to know, what they taste like, and how to build a board around them without turning it into a display.

Start at the counter, not the board

The first rule is to buy less than you think and ask more than you think. Independent cheese counters at Bury Market and the town's delis will let you taste before you buy. Go early on a Saturday, ask what is local, and take their advice on ripeness. A small piece of something ready to eat is better than a large piece of something that needs another week. Cut to order, wrap it loosely, and bring it to room temperature before serving.

Five Lancashire cheeses worth knowing

• Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire. A creamy, buttery Lancashire with a grassy, slightly tangy finish. It is made near Goosnargh and has a texture that sits somewhere between crumbly and soft. Pair it with apple, oatcakes and a spoonful of fruit chutney.
• Leagram Organic Lancashire. Fresher and more crumbly, with a lemony edge and a clean, milky finish. It comes from the Forest of Bowland near Chipping. Serve it with celery, walnuts and slices of pear.
• Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire. Mellow, buttery and gently tangy, with enough structure to stand up to bread. It is a good all-rounder for a board. Pair with malt loaf, pickled onions or a dark ale.
• Blacksticks Blue. A soft, orange-veined blue from Inglewhite, near Preston. It is creamy and approachable rather than fierce. Try it with ginger cake, pear or a little honey.
• Garstang Blue. A milder blue with a creamy texture and a long, savoury finish. It is made around Garstang and works well with dark bread, walnuts and a drizzle of honey.

Build contrast, not clutter

A good board needs three things: contrast, room and something sharp. For four people, three cheeses are enough. For a crowd, five is generous. Include one creamy cheese, one crumbly, one blue and, if you like, one firmer cheese for slicing. Do not add five chutneys. Choose one or two things that cut through the fat: pickled walnuts, cornichons, a sharp apple chutney or fresh celery. Add bread, oatcakes and a handful of nuts. Fruit is welcome, but keep it simple: pears, apples, grapes or quince.

Where to buy around Bury

Bury Market is the obvious starting point. The cheese stalls are used to people asking for local names, and they can point you towards what is in good condition. The town's independent delis are worth a look too, especially if you want advice on a board for a specific number of people. Within half an hour of Bury there are farm shops and counters that stock Lancashire cheeses from small producers. Ask for a taste, ask how long it has been open, and buy cut to order rather than pre-wrapped. If a shop does not have one of the five, ask what they would recommend instead. The point is to buy from a counter, not a shelf.

Bring it to the table

Take the cheese out of the fridge half an hour before you serve it. Keep the board simple. Put the strongest cheese at one end and the creamiest at the other. Give people a knife for each cheese, or at least a clean one between blues and creams. Do not crowd the board; leave space for people to cut. And do not apologise for the lack of imported cheese. A Lancashire board is not a compromise. It is a local pleasure, and it tastes better when you know where it came from.

At The Bay Tree

Our winter board changes with what is good, but it always leans local. We serve these cheeses with bread, pickles and something sweet, and we keep the portions sensible. The aim is not to create a museum of Lancashire cheese. It is to send you back to the counter with a favourite, and then to welcome you back to our table when you want someone else to do the washing up.